The Return
by shiney1983
Summary: Post CHOSEN, Post NOT FADE AWAY...Gifts bestowed, futures changed, prices paid. Basically life goes on in the BUFFY verse. Sorry if the summary sucks, really can't sum up my plan, just check it out please. Chapter 3 is up! Read and Review, I'll only post
1. Gifts and Prices

**A/N: I'm a huge BTVS fan, aren't we all? My favorite couple is Willow/Tara, and after reading much of the W/T fanfic, I thought I'd try writing a little something myself. I haven't see anything quite like this, if there is I apologize to anyone I may have offended, please don't hate me.**

**Disclaimer: Much to my chagrin, I own nothing associated with any Joss Whedon created 'verse. In fact, I own very little so even if you did go to all of the effort to sue me you wouldn't get much. Now, allow me to present to you…**

The Return

Chapter 1

By shiney1983

"Grrr, Arrgh." Xander Harris said in his best pirate voice, as he entered his best friend Willow's apartment.

Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers, and her younger sister Dawn were all sitting around Willow's small circular kitchen table. They all looked up and groaned at their friend as he entered. Undaunted, Xander spun the fourth kitchen chair around backwards and joined the girls.

"Isn't the I'm-a-pirate-now-'cause-I-have-to-wear-an-eye-patch routine getting a little old, Xand?" Buffy questioned her fragile friend as gently as she could.

"Yeah," Dawn added, "one evil priest removes your eye and you go all Johnny Depp on us."

"And I thought I was supposed to be the one who could only see things half way," Xander quipped smiling broadly at his own joke. When none of his friends even so much as cracked a smile, he relented, "Okay, obviously I'm not making with the funny today."

"Its okay, Xand, it's not just you," Willow spoke for the first time since he had come in, causing everyone to look at her. She wouldn't have noticed, however; as she continued to play with the bottle cap in her hands, suddenly entranced by her table. Willow continued very quietly, but matter-of-factly, "it's the anniversary."

Xander looked confused for a second, then it dawned on him and he smacked his forehead. How could he have forgotten? "Well, call me captain stupid, I'm sorry Will." He put his arm around his dearest friend and pulled her to him, kissing her on the side of her head. "What can I do to make it up to you? Maybe a little ice creamy goodness," he offered.

"Actually, could you guys just leave me alone for a while?" Willow halfheartedly smiled at her friends. _I am alone after all_, she thought sadly.

Wordlessly the three friends rose and began to leave. As Buffy rounded the table to where Willow was sitting, she put her arms around the redhead, "You are _not_ alone," she whispered.

The Wicca gave her friend a half hearted smile and patted her arm, "Thanks Buffy," she managed, sounding sincere but tired.

As Buffy, Dawn, and Xander exited Willow got up and started absentmindedly wandering around her apartment, she sighed. The emptiness inside her had been there for years now, and had been the reason Kennedy left, but had grown more painful since Kennedy left.

Willow had loved her, truly and deeply. Truthfully, she wouldn't have gotten through the first couple of years following Tara's death without the strong willed slayer at her side. But no one could ever really replace Tara, and once Kennedy had realized that the tears Willow cried at night would never stop, she left, saying that she couldn't be happy with only part of the witch's heart.

Willow missed the brunette terribly though. The small part of Willow that she had managed to keep alive had died with each step she took out the door. Willow was now a zombie. Well, not a _zombie_ zombie 'cause eww gross and scary, but a human zombie all the same.

The redhead was scrubbing a dish, on autopilot, completely zoned out when she heard a noise outside. Still not entirely herself, Willow walked over to the door to investigate. She pulled the door open to discover fog and a blinding white light. As if all by itself the door swung wide open and stayed there. _This is weird, even for me,_ Willow thought, _it's like something out of the twilight zone. _

Things were about to get even weirder though. As Willow put her hand up to shield her eyes from the light, an echoey voice came through the fog, "I have been watching you Willow, you have done a lot of good in the last few years."

_And also things that were apocalyptically evil,_ Willow thought cringing at the memory of how she tried to end the world. She shook her head trying to stop those thoughts as she continued to listen to the voice.

"You have so much left to do but I fear you can not accomplish your goals with hallow insides. So you will be granted a gift. What is it you desire most?"

"Tara."

Willow spoke the blonde's name so quietly it was as if she were speaking to herself. This was partly because it hurt so bad to even think Tara's name, let alone say it, and partly because Willow wasn't sure if she wanted anything from a mysterious fog voice.

Unfortunately the voice continued, "Very well then we will send the slain witch back to you…"

"No wait --" Willow tried, but it was too late.

"…but it will come with a price," were the voice's final words.

However, before Willow had time to listen to the fear growing in the pit of her stomach at the possible meaning behind those words, she was blown backwards by an over powering wind. The door slammed shut just as Willow felt her head collide with the kitchen cabinets and blacked out.

To Be Continued…

**Okay so what do you guys think? There is more to the story; in fact, I have the next chapter written. However, I will only post the next chapter if enough ppl are interested. If that is the case, weekly updates will be promised, at least until I start school again. So read, review, and spread the word. Hope to hear from you soon and thanks for reading!-shiney1983**


	2. Returns and Battles

**A/N: Okay so I usually only update my stories once a week but I got so many great reviews so quickly that I decided to update this one a little faster. I'm such a sucker for praise! This chapter starts off a few of our other characters, but we will get back to our favorite Wiccas I promise. Okay, here goes nothing, hope you all like this one as much as the first…**

**The Return**

**Chapter 2**

**By shiney1983**

Buffy and Dawn were walking in the front door, of their new house, which Xander had helped them to build and which, not by coincidence, looked exactly like the one they'd had in Sunnydale, when they both stopped cold and fell silence.

Buffy couldn't believe it. She never thought she'd see him again, but here he was sitting in her living room, in the shadows like he belonged there. Well, maybe he did, but that wasn't the point right now.

"Angel?" she choked out, barely above a whisper. They'd been through so much, all the pain and loss, and yet her heart still leaped when she saw him. It made her fell like a sixteen-year-old girl again, far from the woman she had become.

The younger Summers just glared at the dark haired vampire with her arms folded defiantly across her chest. She had always liked Angel, but there was no way he would hurt her sister again, not if she could help it.

Buffy noticed Angel's arm was in a sling. As she moved toward him, another familiar voice came from the darkness between them. "Hello, love."

Dawn let out a squeal then, and leapt toward the blonde vampire. She embraced him like a little kid who's just seen their long lost parent. Spike winced slightly, but placed one arm around the girl. Dawn noticed as she got closer that one of his eyes was blackened, swollen shut, and that his face was bruised and beaten as well.

Not taking his good eye off the slayer, Spike said simply, "Hey Bit."

"Spike!" Buffy said incredulously, her mind racing to catch up. This was quickly becoming more than she could handle, and in true Buffy fashion she was starting to get mad. "What the hell--"

But before Buffy could get too far in to her rant someone else walked in from the kitchen, "Hey B."

"Faith!" Now Buffy was upset and she turned her anger on the rogue slayer. She turned toward Faith, "Haven't you guys ever heard of breaking and entering?" This earned a smirk and a snort from Spike, and Buffy turned on her heels to glare at him, and then turned back toward Faith.

"Besides, I thought you were headed to L.A. to 'scope things out' not to bring visitors back with you," she said exasperatedly gesturing towards the two vampires.

Faith opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Angel rose and took a step toward Buffy as he spoke, "There's something bad, Buffy, we need your help."

"It's always business with you, isn't it?" Dawn questioned indignantly from her spot next to Spike.

Spike nodded in agreement, "Yep," he remarked, and then added sarcastically, "That's our boy."

Angel looked momentarily toward Dawn and Spike then back at Buffy. "Buffy I--" he started, he took a step forward, she moved back.

She crossed her arms exactly as her younger sister had done before and said determinedly, "What do we have to do?"

Angel exhaled breath he didn't need, and moved back toward the chair. He did so with a small limp. He motioned for Buffy to take a seat on the couch, and as she sat he began to fill the Summers women in on the battle royale they'd just had in taking on Wolfram and Hart…

TO BE CONTINUED…

**I'm not sure yet which pairing I'm gonna use for Buffy in this story yet, so I left all possibilities open. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as the first, and don't forget to r/r and spread the word. I live for feedback. More to come soon-shiney1983**


	3. Joy, Worry, and Confusion

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update guys, I had a severe case of writer's block. I think that's over now, though, so here it is chapter 3! I start school on Monday so the chapters might be a little slow in coming from now on but I swear I'll try to keep up. **

Willow slowly lifted her head up off the kitchen table, blinked to get her eyes to focus, and looked around.

She sighed as she began to stand. _It was only a dream,_ Willow thought sadly, _then again if someone did give me back, Tara I'm not so sure I'd want it to come from an echoey voice promising doom and gloom…_

"Hey." Tara smiled at Willow as if she would burst with excitement.

Willow shook her head thinking she must have hit it too hard on the table when she had fallen asleep_. It can't be, it can't be, it can't be… _She attempted to reassure herself over and over again, shutting her eyes tight and balling up her fists, like a little girl trying to make a nightmare disappear.

"Will?" Tara questioned, her voice now laced with worry as she touched the redhead's arm.

Willow heard Tara say her name and shivered as the blonde's fingertips brushed her arm, making the hair on her arm stand on end. Slowly Willow opened her eyes.

"Tara?" her voice shook with emotion as she realized what she was seeing was one hundred percent real. "Tara?" she said again, as she pulled the blonde in to her arms.

Tara felt Willow's body shake against hers, and she knew that the other Wicca was crying. Tara felt a wet tear slide down her own cheek even as she tried to comfort the woman she loved. "Shh, darling," she whispered against Willow's hair as she breathed in the intoxicating scent of her strawberry shampoo, "it's alright, I'm here now and we're together again."

Willow reluctantly pulled back from Tara's embrace, "But how? I mean you were- you were-" Willow faltered unable to complete her thoughts as the image of her lover falling toward her with that horrible read blotch on her chest flooded her mind.

Tara smiled reassuringly, as she reached out and began to softly caress Willow's cheek. "I don't know," she began speak softly, as though she was trying to get used to the sound of her own voice again, "all I remember is falling toward you as the world started to go black," Willow breathed in sharply at this as she covered Tara's hand with her own and leaned into Tara's hand slightly, "then suddenly I felt my essence being pulled back into my body and the next thing I knew I was here in front of you."

Willow turned her head to kiss the girl's hand then took it in her own. "Oh, Tara," she began, finding that perhaps she didn't trust her voice either, "so much has happened, there's so much you don't know, so much I need to tell you….there's me evil, Xander saving the world, Spike saving the world, slayers all over the world, Xander becoming a pirate, well not really becoming a pirate but…

Willow barely took a breath as Tara listened trying to sort through the redhead's babble. Tara smiled as she realized how much she had missed trying to decipher a good Willow babble, and she wondered how long she had been gone. She breathed in sharply and subconsciously as the thought hit her that, if she had been gone long enough, Willow may have moved on!

Willow noticed Tara's intake of breath and became worried, maybe her reader's digest version of the time since Tara's death had been too much for the blonde to handle. Willow silently cursed herself as she took a step back toward Tara,_ why do I always have to start babbling like an idiot?_

"Tara, what wrong?" Willow questioned, placing both hands gently on Tara's shoulders and searching those beautiful blue eyes worriedly.

Tara waved her hand, embarrassed that she had caused Willow worry. "It's-it's n-n-nothing," she said, stuttering slightly and hoping she sounded more convinced than she felt, she took a deep breath to control the stutter and said, "why don't we sit down and you can start from the beginning."

Tara took a seat at the table and motioned for Willow to do the same. Willow took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but she started to get dizzy as she looked across the table in to those baby blues she had missed night after night.

Thank you goddess for- but Willow thoughts stopped short, she had almost forgotten in all the excitement that it wasn't the goddess she had to thank. Suddenly the final words of the ominous, echoey voice replayed in Willow head. She began to panic as she stood. A price! This was a definite job for the Scooby gang, and one the needed to get on ASAP.

"I need to call, Buffy." Willow quickly answered to Tara bewildered look when she stood.

Tara's heart sank even lower as Willow turned and grabbed the phone. _Could Willow have moved on with Buffy! Her Willow, with Buffy! _

Tara swallowed hard at the thought and tried to wipe it away, as she heard Willow say, "Hey, Buff, I've got big news. You'll never believe… What? Oh you do too? Okay…okay…we'll be right over. Bye."

Willow hung up the phone, stood, and started to walk toward the door. Tara, her head still swimming with thoughts it broke her heart to entertain, didn't follow. When Willow realized this she turned back to look at the blonde and furrowed her brow with worry, "Tara aren't you coming?"

"Of-of-c-course," Tara stammered as she stood, and followed the redheaded Wicca out the door.

At the Summers' house, Buffy turned back toward an expectant group.

Buffy scratched her head wholly confused, "That was Will. She says she has big news too.

"So what?" Spike replied, "Even without bloody Sunnydale around, somethin's always brewin'."

"Well, it's just that," Buffy continued still uncertain if she had heard right, "Willow said 'we'll be right over.'"

"But I'm already here," Xander protested, and then to the duh looks he received he added, "I just wonder who she could have meant that's all."

Buffy shrugged, "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

TO BE CONTINUED….

**A/N: As always let me know what you guys think. Also, ideas for the story itself are always considered, and they may help hinder my writer's block. I'll try to get another chapter out next week. Until next time ladies and germs, I love you all-shiney1983 **


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